Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rio Tinto and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,690 in Rio Tinto, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Rio Tinto
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Rio Tinto Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Rio Tinto

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,690

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rio Tinto and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Rio Tinto and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,690 in Rio Tinto versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Rio Tinto $1,690
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,591 in Rio Tinto versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Rio Tinto $2,591
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,491 in Rio Tinto versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Rio Tinto $3,491
Phuket $2,845

Living in Rio Tinto is roughly 40% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rio Tinto is 25% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.73 €11.32

$4.40 ฿147

189.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.59 €44.11

$32.26 ฿1,078

53.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.06 €8.06

$8.76 ฿293

3.42%

Cappuccino

$2.00 €1.78

$2.83 ฿94.5

-29.33%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.77

$0.90 ฿30.14

121.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.33

$0.47 ฿15.56

219.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 €2.68

$2.55 ฿85.2

18.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 €2.52

$3.83 ฿128

-26.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €0.99

$1.73 ฿57.7

-35.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.47 ฿49.11

25.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.51 ฿50.6

5.30%

Eggs

$2.92 €2.60

$2.17 ฿72.7

34.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.53 €13.82

$19.70 ฿658

-21.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 €7.38

$3.34 ฿112

148.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.69 €18.40

$11.16 ฿373

85.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.85 ฿95.1

-15.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.70 ฿56.9

-15.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$2.19 ฿73.3

-4.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.05 ฿68.4

9.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.45 ฿48.57

17.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.38 ฿46.16

52.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.07 ฿35.69

50.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.51 ฿16.91

119.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.81 €6.06

$4.26 ฿142

59.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 €4.42

$18.58 ฿621

-73.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.78 ฿59.7

-24.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.85 ฿95.2

-13.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.26 ฿75.6

-21.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.29 €40.29

$22.10 ฿738

104.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.89

$3.01 ฿101

45.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 €0.41

$1.06 ฿35.34

-55.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.56 €12.06

$3.86 ฿129

251.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.45 ฿48.45

48.28%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$32.8K €29.2K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

24.74%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$37.4K €33.2K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

38.63%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$110 €97.9

$96.4 ฿3,221

14.24%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.50 €15.57

$11.04 ฿369

58.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.98 €38.23

$17.14 ฿573

150.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.17 €36.62

$52.2 ฿1,744

-21.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.82 €14.96

$11.16 ฿373

50.72%

Cinema Ticket

$8.68 €7.72

$7.81 ฿261

11.14%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$429 €381

$556 ฿18.6K

-22.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,343 €5,642

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-45.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 €99.6

$64.2 ฿2,146

74.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.80 €31.85

$28.69 ฿959

24.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 €66.4

$95.4 ฿3,187

-21.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.8 €68.3

$88.0 ฿2,940

-12.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$931 €828

$737 ฿24.6K

26.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$791 €703

$462 ฿15.5K

71.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 €1,863

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-0.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 €1,277

$1,201 ฿40.1K

19.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,998 €2,667

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-14.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,293 €2,039

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-9.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,278 €1,137

$501 ฿16.7K

155.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

5.57

-41.29%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Rio Tinto: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Rio Tinto

$791 46.8%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 41.5% $328

Groceries & Markets

Rio Tinto

$289 17.1%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 7.1% $20

Eating Out

Rio Tinto

$188 11.1%

Phuket

$121 10% 35.4% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rio Tinto

$171 10.1%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 27% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Rio Tinto

$135 8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 7.7% $10

Getting Around

Rio Tinto

$59 3.5%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 33.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Rio Tinto

$59 3.5%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 15.8% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $931 in Rio Tinto and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio Tinto pays 155% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $50.0 in Rio Tinto vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Rio Tinto

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

06:29 6:29 AM

6 h ahead of Rio Tinto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,086

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Rio Tinto Phuket 10,820 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Rio Tinto
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Rio Tinto vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 155% higher in Rio Tinto, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $931 in Rio Tinto versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $429 in Rio Tinto versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Rio Tinto. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,690 in Rio Tinto, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Rio Tinto. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rio Tinto, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Rio Tinto and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Rio Tinto. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.